Stay strip applying machine



Feb. 6, 1968 1 c. ANTELL 3,365,985

STAY STRIP APPLYING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet l U. M m E T T m N M 2 V A im C. plo Ll I O H 6 m 2 I n... 69

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Fb- 6, 1968 J. c. ANTELL 3,366,985

STAY STRIP APPLYING MACHINE Filed Oct. 22, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 3

INVENTOR.

Y JOSEPH C. ANTELL B ,www

United States Patent Oiice 3,366,935 Patented Fein. 6, 1968 3,366,985STAY STRIP APPLYING MACHINE Joseph C. Anteil, Lynn, Mass., assigner toPrime Manufacturing Company, Lynn, Mass., a corporation of MassachusettsFiled' Oct. 22, 1965, Ser.. No. 501,401 11 Claims. (Cl. 12-59.5)

ABSTRACT F THE DSCLUSURE Stay strip applying machine having a worksupporting roll and adjacent table upon which the work is engaged underyielding pressure by a feeler arranged, when it passes off the work, tobring into action a severing knife.

This invention comprises a new and improved machine for applying staystrips to shoe uppers or other objects requiring reinforcement orincreased thickness in selected areas.

The invention is herein disclosed in its application to a machine forapplying eyelet stay strips to the quarters of shoe uppers. In thismachine the stays are cut from a roll of coated continuous adhesive tapein predetermined and controlled lengths and applied by pressure to theinner surface of the quarter. Coated cloth or paper fabric material maybe used, usually one-half to five-eighths inches in Width. The length ofthe stay applied to the upper may be varied from three-fourths to fourand onehalf inches by automatic cut-off mechanism.

In its preferred form the machine comprises a worksupporting feed roll,feeding means for advancing a shoe upper upon the roll with a stay stripin superposed relation, power-operated cutting mechanism for severingthe stay strip, and a feeler or sensing finger arranged to engage theupper and operating to time the actuation of the cutting mechanismbefore the stay strip reaches the trailing edge of the upper. Thus thesevered end of the stay strip lies well within the contour of thequarter in readiness to receive the eyelet and is completely concealedin the finished shoe.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood andappreciated from the following description of a preferred embodimentthereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view of the machine in side elevation,

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view o-f the machine table,

FIG. 3 is a corresponding view of the same in elevation, and

FIG. 4 shows a portion of a shoe quarter with the stay strip in place.

The machine in its illustrative embodiment comprises a frame 10 suitablydesigned to carry the Working parts of the machine at convenient height.To one side face of the frame a bracket 11 is pivotally attached by astud 12. The free end of the bracket is curved upwardly and inwardly andis provided with bearings for a rotatable work-supporting roll 13. Thebracket is yieldingly maintained in predetermined initial position by anunderlying compression spring 14, but it may be temporarily lowered bytreadle connections 15 to permit the insertion of work. The frame 10 isprovided with an outstanding lug 16 carrying a set screw 17 which bearsupon a portion of the bracket 11 and adjustably determines its initialposition.

The free end of the bracket 11 carries a short stationary jack shaft 18upon which the roll 13 is mounted and retained by a washer 19. To theouter end of the jack shaft is clamped a block 20 having a stem whichcarries the table 21 of the machine to which the work is presented onits way to the roll 13, where the stay strip is applied. The tablepresents an extended flat work-supporting face lying in a planesubstantially tangent to the top cylindrical surface of the roll 13.

The table 21 extends toward and partially about the upper part of thefeed roll and carries an edge gauge 22 for the upper U, as shown in FIG.2, and this is adjustably secured to the table by a screw 23.

The work feeding means of the machine comprises a pair of feed feet 24and 25 carried by forwardly extending arms operated by properly timedeccentrics on a driven transverse shaft 26. The shaft 26 is journaled ina U- shaped bracket 27 permanently secured to the upper part of theframe 10. The feeding feet and their operating eccentrics aresubstantially identical to the corresponding parts shown in UnitedStates Patent No. 1,794,204, Ridderstrorn, to which reference may be hadfor further details of the feeding means.

Bolted to the face of the bracket 27 is a stationary guideway 28 inwhich is formed a longitudinal trough for the tape T. This is drawn froma coil (not shown) and led through a guide eye 29, over a guide roll 30.It is then directed by forked guide fingers 31 and 32 `and led over aguide roll 33 into the upper end o-f the trough of the guideway 28. Thetape passes downwardly beneath a spring pressed dog 34 which preventsretrograde movement of the tape. As it passes from the trough it isdeiiected rearwardly by an adjustable finger 35 that lays the free endof the tape over the upper U in position to be engaged by the feed feet24 and 25. The adhesive face of the tape faces outwardly in passing downthrough the guide trough and downwardly in passing the guide finger 35so that it adheres at once to the upper or shoe quarter and advanceswith it under the `actuation of the feed feet 24 and 25.

The tape is severed automatically by a knife 40 mounted to rock about apivot 41 set in the inner branch of the bracket 27. The knife is securedby a screw 42 to an arm 43 connected at its upper end through a longlink 44 to one arm of a bell crank lever 45 mounted to rock with a pivotshaft 46 journaled in the bracket 27.

The shaft 46 carries an inwardly extending arm 47 normally held in anelevated initial position by an underlying compression spring 48 andoperatively connected through a vertical rod 49 to the movable core of asolenoid 50 mounted in a casing 51 in the top of the frame 10. It willbe apparent that when the solenoid is energized the lever 45 will berocked in clockwise direction and the knife will make its operativestroke against the compression of the spring 48.

The action of the knife 40 is timed and controlled by a sensing fingeror feeler 60 adjustably secured by Aa screw 61 to a rocker arm 62. Therocker arm 62 has a downwardly extending branch 63 journaled on a pivotpin 64 set in the edge of the table 21 and is urged to rock upwardly incounterclockwise direction as seen in FIG. 3 by a compression springseated in the table 21. The feeler 6l) is thus urged downwardly aboutthe axis of the pivot pin 64 and maintained against the upper U byyielding pressure.

The rocker 62 is perforated at its outer end for passage of a wire 66which is encased in a sheath 67 and clamped at its other end to the lug16 on the machine frame 1li. This is known as a Bowden wire. The remoteend of the sheath 67' is clamped to the movable bracket 11 by a clip 68and the other end is clamped in the block 20 and the whole sheath is ofcourse movable with respect to the wire 66.

At its free end, above the ringer 62, the wire 66 carries adjustably ahead 69. When the wire 66 is pulled downwardly with the lowering of thework supporting roll 13 the head 69 engages and depresses the rocker andlifts the sensing finger 60 so that the upper or quarter U may beinserted beneath it on the table 21. When the treadle connection isreleased the finger 6d engages and rides on the upper until its trailingedge has been advanced beyond the sensing end of the finger. The rockerthen rocks under the actuation of its compression spring and the linger60 engages the table 21 where it remains until new work is presented.

The solenoid Si) is wired in circuit with a microswitch 70 secured tothe under side of the table 21 and having a button disposed in operativerelation to the branch 63 of the rocker 62. Accordingly, when the finger6i) drops off the trailing edge of the work, the switch 7i) is trippedto energize the solenoid Sil and the knife is swung inwardly to severthe tape T at some point within the contour of the quarter U. This pointof severance is deter-v mined by the adjusted setting of the sensingfinger 60. The closer it is set to a fixed point of severance theshorter will be the length of applied tape.

The assembly of sensing mechanism upon the movable Work supportingmembers is important to the successful operation of the machine andconstitutes a feature of inventive ingenuity.

The employment of sheathed wire and the illustrated construction forsecuring the desired action of the wire by movement of the sheath isalso a feature of the invention not heretofore used in machines of thisgeneral type.

It will be seen that the wire 66 is guided by its sheath 67 in loopformation from its fixed end at the lug 16 to its movable end whichpasses through the table 62. When the bracket 11 is rocked about itspivot 12 the movement of the sheath 67 elongates the bight of the wireloop and causes the free end of the wire to move twice as far downwardlyas the table 21. It is this differential movement of the wire that liftsthe sensing finger 60 through the downward movement of the head 69. InFIG. 3 the sensing finger is shown as riding on the upper U and a slightamount of lost motion is indicated between the head 69 and the finger62.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail anillustrative embodiment thereof, I claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent:

1. A stay strip applying machine comprising a ywork supporting feedroll, a flat work table mounted adjacent thereto for bodily movement inthe machine to admit a work piece, a feeler pivotally mounted on thetable for yielding engagement with a work piece thereon, work feedingmeans cooperating with the work supporting roll, and power operatedcutting mechanism controlled in its timing by movement of the work pieceupon said table beyond its point of contact with the feeler.

2. A stay strip applying machine as described in claim 1 furthercharacterized in that the feeler is located substantially outside thepath of the cutting mechanism so that the stay strip may be severed at apoint within the trailing edge of the upper.

3. A stay strip applying machine comprising transversely movable workfeeding means, a work support bodily movable toward and from the feedingmeans and including a flat table, automatic knife mechanism, and asensing finger carried by the said table for controlling the timing ofthe knife mechanism.

4. A stay strip applying machine described in claim 3 furthercharacterized in that the knife is movable in a fixed path to sever staystrip tape always at a predetermined point and the sensing finger isadjustable on the table to vary the length of tape applied before theknife mechanism is actuated.

5. A stay strip applying machine as described in claim 3 furthercharacterized in that a solenoid is provided for operating the knife anda connected microswitch is mounted beneath said table for movement withthe work support and in operative relation to said sensing nger.

6. A stay strip applying machine comprising a stationary frame havingwork feeding means and automatic tape cutting mechanism, a bracketmovably connected to the frame and having a pivotally mounted sensingfinger, a sheathed wire connected to the sensing finger and thcstationary frame and having its sheath connected to the movable bracketand a solenoid circuit controlled by relative movement of the wire withrespect to its sheath.

7. A stay strip applying machine comprising a stationary frame havingwork feeding means and power-operated tape cutting mechanism, a bracketmovably connected to the frame and having a table and a pivotallymounted sensing linger, a wire connected to the sensing finger, meansfor causing more rapid movement of the wire than of the table when thebracket is moved to open position, thereby separating the sensing fingerfrom the table for the introduction of the work.

8. A stay strip applying machine as defined in claim 7, furthercharacterized in that the wire is fast at one end to the frame andextends to the sensing finger in a loop formation that is elongated bypivotal movement of the bracket.

9. In a stay strip applying machine, a frame having work feeding meansand an electrically operated tape severing mechanism, and a pivotedbracket having a table, a rocker pivotally mounted on the table andcarrying an adjustable spring-operated sensing linger arrangedyieldingly to engage` a shoe upper upon the table, an electric switchlocated below the table, and operative connections between the rockerand switch for energizing the tape severing mechanism.

10. A stay strip applying machine comprising a stationary frame havingtape feeding and severing means, and a bracket pivotally mounted on theframe and carrying a transverse shaft at its free end, a work-supportingroll ,on one end of the shaft and a table on the other end, aspring-operated sensing finger pivotally mounted abo\e the table andhaving a branch extending downwardly below the table, a microswitchlocated below the table in operative range of said branch, and means forlifting the sensing finger when the bracket is swung to work-receiv ingposition.

11. A stay strip applying machine as described in claim 10, furthercharacterized in that the means for lifting the sensing nger comprises asheath-enclosed wire arranged in U-formation with the remote end of thewire fixed beyond the movable end of the sheath.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,794,204 2/1931 Ridderstrom12-59.5 2,223,209 1l/l940 Groh et al l2-59.5 2,871,493 2/1959 Vachonl2-59.5 3,012,261 12/1961 Small 12-59.5

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner.

